Staggering Along The Way:Act-I
by Ana89mika
Summary: A complete story now. 5X03 debacle is the main focus of this story, so for now this ends here. If you have just stumbled across this story, please give it a read. You should like it... It's filled with feels and emotions and a delicious seduction of senses. Thank you ...
1. Chapter 1

**So, I sat down with my laptop to write a chapter for one of my ongoing fics. **

**But damn this Gail-Holly thing has been distracting. **

**And I thought maybe it's time to put this distraction to use. **

**I have only just dipped my toe in Gail-Holly Fandom with this. **

**Depends on the result whether I decide to dunk myself in it. **

**So, please review or PM to tell me what you think. **

**Or should I continue this or let it be? **

**All up to the readers. **

**Mistakes are all mine, no beta. **

**Oh, and yeah, the cursory bullshit...I don't own anything except for the story. **

**Hope you all enjoy.**

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**Staggering Along The Way**

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**Chapter 1 – The Very First Stumble**

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Dr. Stewart was tired. Not bone tired; but exhausted enough to have her basic brain functions delayed by few long, longer seconds. A three days rushed trip, not a wink of sleep in the last 30 plus hours, jetlag induced lethargy, and heavily preoccupied mind - all combined together, she deduced, was not a great motivator for her. Right that minute, though, with her eyes boring into the eyepiece of a microscope only one inane thought looped through her conscious. The extremely intelligent, knowledgeable, beautiful, stolid, albeit fictional Dr. Maura Isles was correct, as always. "Not every reddish-brown stain is blood." The sample sitting on the stage of her microscope was definitely reddish-brown and not blood.

Her nostrils flared and eyes clenched as she tried to yawn without tearing open her mouth ridiculously wide. Her left hand clutched the corner of the cool granite counter tightly as she hunched over the microscope to rest her forehead on the eyepiece. Her right hand went back to finger the base of her neck. She desperately needed her knots kneaded...a massage seemed like a salivating dessert at the moment. She pressed her fingers into her neck and groaned deep in her throat. She should have gone home. She shouldn't have come to work directly from airport. It seemed like a perfect time to concede and accept that she was getting too old to function without some rest.

"Never thought I would catch you sleeping on the job," the voice, intimately familiar, pierced through her thoughts, making Holly react physically. She jerked and lost the grip on the counter which resulted in banging her forehead on the eyepiece of the microscope with sufficient amount of force. "Oowww," she moaned and straightened herself. Her right hand that was previously kneading her neck came in front to prod at her forehead. Her face was scrunched up in confusion and her brain was yet to process the previous comment. She snatched off her specs and threw them on the counter without care. With her left hand thumb and forefinger she pinched the bridge of her nose painfully. "Damn it," she cursed under her breath. She scrubbed at her face with both her hands to rid away some of the drowsiness.

At last she gazed at the person standing at the doorway of her lab. She was immediately tempted to make a remark about Gail possessing the stealth of a feline, but thought better of it. It had been more than two weeks since she had heard that soft timbre of Gail's voice accompanied with just the right amount of snarky lilt. How pathetic would it be if she confessed to missing the special 'Peck Package Of Snark', she mused. "Gail," Holly whispered. She frowned when it sounded helplessly intimate. She cleared her throat and responded solidly. "Officer Peck."

Gail stood by the door and watched Holly. The older woman looked disoriented and tired. Her eyes searched the lab - curtsy ingrained habit - and landed on the luggage sitting by the right corner of the room. She knew she wasn't there in a professional capacity but she couldn't stop herself from commenting. She hadn't seen or talked to Holly for more than two weeks now. But everyday Holly would at least call her once and leave a text. It didn't matter that she didn't answer her calls. Or that the texts were nothing but a scientific fact that had absolutely no use in daily life for Gail. She didn't reply but Holly would leave something, anything, in her inbox daily, for the last two weeks; since that stupid night at the bar. God, did she hate that night! But those calls and texts had ceased for three days in a row now. And her being perfectly Gail, her curiosity got the better of her. She couldn't not come to the lab when she got the chance.

Holly waited for Gail to return the greeting or explain the purpose of the visit. She saw those ever-observant eyes take in everything in the surrounding. "What can I do for you?" A direct approach seemed like a wise decision.

Gail blinked. All the details of the lab perfectly stored at the back of her mind she remembered why she was there in the first place. Holly was looking at her expectantly. She may be expended but damn if she didn't look impressive enough to take over the world in her dark black perfect slacks and a lavender shirt. The top three buttons of the shirt so teasingly undone, allowing the tank top to peek out just the right amount. She wasn't wearing any jacket though. And the sleeves were rolled up just below her elbows. If only she could rein her body's reaction to this beautiful creature...but did she really want to? This was so not the right time for this question. She drew her eyebrows in, assumed the stiff stance, and the accusing look before replying. "You didn't grovel."

Holly blinked rapidly. The confusion must have been plainly obvious on her face because before she could say anything Gail added.

"You didn't grovel," Gail repeated and took two steps inside the lab. "You didn't apologize, Holly. You didn't come after me. You didn't seek me out. You didn't do anything." She didn't want to sound like a whining five-year-old obnoxious kid but she wanted to know why Holly had not come to her, confronted her. "And you haven't called or texted in last three days, Holly."

"I am sorry. I have been busy." Holly automatically answered. "I had to go to the states for some conference at the last minute." She chortled. "Apparently I am the go-to person when the department needs some P.R." She belatedly registered what Gail had said. "I didn't grovel?" Her mouth opened a few times but words just didn't seem to agree with her. She exhaled noisily and pulled at the band that kept her hair in a ponytail just for the sake of it. She tilted her head upward and moved her neck side to side in hopes of getting some of kinks sorted. When she straightened her neck Gail was staring at her. She couldn't decipher the look and frankly she was a little too peeved to indulge in what she thought was one of her favourite things to do. She bit her bottom lip in between her teeth and asked. "Is that what you want?" She couldn't keep the disbelief away from her tone. "You want me to ask...no, sorry, beg for forgiveness? You want me to grovel at your feet? For what, Gail?" She inhaled and calmed herself down. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"You have gotta be fucking kidding me," Gail mockingly laughed. "You didn't do anything wrong? Holly...tell me, were you strolling across some alternate universe when you practically deemed me unworthy? Of being just a blue collar? Way below standards for you, right?" Her contempt kept increasing with every word as she remembered that bitch Lisa's description of her.

"I didn't say any of that, Gail," Holly's shoulder slumped. "Lisa made those comments and later you repeated all of that." She picked up her glasses and fiddled with it. "I would never demean you like that, Gail. I know you know that for a fact but I don't know why you refuse to acknowledge it. I am not that shallow, at least I don't think I am." She matched Gail's accusing stare head on. "You didn't give me a chance to talk. To explain, you just did what you do and ran."

Gail didn't know what made her shut up. But suddenly her visit to the lab to purposely hurt Holly seemed vain; too vain and unimportant. She was being unreasonable and so freaking unfair. Sometime in the week after the incident at The Penny she had realized that she should have given Holly a chance to talk her side, to explain. Clear the air as they say but no...her damned psyche wasn't built like a normal person now, was it? Was it ego? Was it pride? What was it that made her so abrasive and deploring of others? Her fear of heartache had made her a coward, seemingly. She had this incessant need to hurt the other person and walk away before they could hurt her. She had done just that with Holly. Holly...who had been nothing but amazingly supportive of her, who had sat by her when she had only needed a silent companion, who had listened to her rant about unfairness of life, who had cared enough to stand by her even when she didn't have to. Why, oh why was she like that? Even now she couldn't bring herself to simply back down.

Holly rested both her hands on the cool surface of the hard counter. Her head dipped, her hair forming a curtain around her which she was thankful for. She felt so weak and pathetic. Her body further slumped and she felt like crying; giving in, with no fight left in her. But no, she wouldn't let Gail make her feel bad about herself when she had done nothing wrong. She deserved better. She wasn't what she was today because of feeling week. She was resilient, strong, and an independent successful individual. She would never give anyone the right, the power over her to make her feel so small. A dry chuckle tumbled out of her and it threatened to turn into a soft sob. She lifted her head. She knew her eyes were filmed with moisture. "I respect your job as much as I fear it. The unpredictability of your situation sometimes just guts me to my core, Gail. I can't think like that now, can I? I don't have any right to think like that, right?" She attempted to portray her usual casualness and nonchalance with her signature lopsided smile but she knew it turned into a grimace. "Not to gloat, but I didn't leave when I could." Holly didn't want to go into details of all the things she had done for Gail. She knew she had stayed due to her own selfishness, not because she was some very noble soul. Her mind replayed the moments with Gail in her washroom a few weeks prior. Those moments were both beautiful and painful. Suddenly a surge of anger overtook her nerves. "Second round with Nicholas," she growled under her breath with as much disdain as possible. She didn't care how unreasonable or stupid her dislike of this Nicholas guy seemed to Gail. "The one time...Gail," she mustered up all her courage not to breakdown. Her voice, though, cracked and her throat was too tight. "The one time I stumble, you don't even offer your hand?"

"I...uh..," Gail clenched her jaw and pursed her lips. Holly was rightly accusing her without even trying to. She should have remained gone. She never should have come back. Damn the temptation...and all the mushy, weak feelings this woman brought out in her. What was she supposed to say? 'Hey, sorry I over-reacted. Friends?' Nope...not possible. She didn't know how to be Holly's friend anymore. Well, the only option was to sit down and talk it over, like adults. Hmmm...she could do that, couldn't she? She was willing to try. That look, the begging for understanding in Holly's chocolate orbs was too much. She had to thaw at some point.

"Tase myself in the eye," Holly murmured and chuckled, shaking her head. She abruptly brought her right hand out. "Did you bring your taser? I will be more than happy to do the deed." She stood there with challenging brow lifted up to her hairline.

Gail winced at that. She agreed that 'tasing herself in the eye' was a bit too much. She dropped her stupid cop-stance and sagged her shoulders. "Holly," she almost whined to not remind her. She fisted her fingers, released them, and repeated the act a few times and licked her dry lips. With a renewed resolve she took another two steps that landed her well into Holly's personal space. Her hands were itching desperately to reach out and touch the older woman but she knew she had to restrain herself. She didn't have that right...yet. "Can we talk sometime soon? I promise to leave my attitude and snark in my closet." She attempted half a smile. She bit into her lip when Holly only kept staring at her blankly.

Holly was relieved to say the least. If this was what her patience gifted her then she was thankful she had curbed all her desires to stalk and smother Gail every second of every day for the last two weeks till the police officer relented and gave her a chance. And wow, if that wasn't the hardest thing she had to do in life then she didn't know what was. All the negativity she had been gathering left her in a woosh within a second. She laughed softly at the joke Gail made. "You could never leave your snark in the closet," she saw Gail smile wide. "Too big to fit," she perfected that lopsided smile. She wasn't all that tired anymore.

Gail opened her mouth to say something but the radio on her left shoulder crackled. They both grimaced at the broken voices coming from the other end.

When Gail didn't move Holly asked. "I don't speak 'radio' but I think I heard something like 'all units'?"

"Yeah...all units," Gail distractedly replied. She perked up all of a sudden. "Oh, hey, maybe it's a mass grave. You might get called too."

Holly shook her head at the complete absurdity of Gail's perkiness. "No, actually. I am off the clock right now." She had come here to keep herself busy and reduce the time she spent alone in her apartment thinking and thinking ceaselessly. "Want to have dinner tonight, after you shift?" She proposed tentatively.

"Yeah, sure," Gail agreed without thinking. Her phone vibrated and she knew it was Chris messaging her to come out. "You look tired, nerd. Get some rest. I will come by about nine?"

"Okay," Holly checked her watch. It was only after one in the afternoon. She could get a few hours of sleep before dinner, hopefully without disrupting her regular sleeping schedule. Well, one thing she knew for sure. If this talk with Gail would go okay, then she would at last welcome a peaceful slumber after a long...long time. "See you tonight." She whispered. And this time she purposely made it sound intimate.

Gail smiled and kept her gaze for a few seconds. Finally she huffed when her phone vibrated for the third time. "See you tonight, nerd." She said and walked backwards out of the lab. Well, it didn't seem that hard. She really was a fool to take more than those extremely long and painfully lonely two-weeks to agree to talk.

Tonight, she would try her level best not to run.

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**Hopefully it was worth your time. **

**Your reviews, suggestions, and ideas are most welcome. **

**Feel free to contact me via PM or reviews. **

**Thank You.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yeah, a new chapter is already here. **

**Before you begin, I would like to thank everybody who spared their time. **

**Thank you for every favorite, every follow, and every review. **

**I really didn't expect such favoring feedback. **

**Reviews have been very interesting to read. **

**Holly is most certainly not blameless. I agree. **

**But hopefully as the story proceeds you all could see and understand my point of view. **

**A very special shout-out to "tked". Thank you for noticing that single line. I wanted to put the weight of it all in just a few words. **

**Still don't own anything. Story is mine, though. **

**Mistakes are mine too. **

**Now, without any delay, please proceed. **

**Enjoy!**

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**Staggering Along The Way**

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**Chapter 2 - Preamble To 'The Talk'**

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Holly didn't leave for home immediately. She gave another hour to determine what exactly that reddish-brown blob of a sample was. Turned out, it was blood; but not blood. It was the artificial blood that was used in movies, television industry all over. She was amused and quite surprised at the consistency of the chemical. Whoever made that mixture had to have a masters in chemistry. She didn't pen down her observations, only recorded them for now. She would do the full report tomorrow. At her place, she didn't bother changing or cleaning or unpacking. Directly she went to the bedroom and passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Holly woke up a little after seven in the evening. Her body urged her to go back to sleep but she resisted. It would have disturbed her perfectly created sleep-cycle. At first she rummaged the kitchen for any kind of stale or smelly food that needed to go in the trash bin. Luckily there were only few dried-out slices of pizza and a half-full packet of expired brown bread; nothing that would cause a stench. After that she vacuumed the place thoroughly. No matter how packed and locked the house remained, dust always settled in abundance. Satisfied with the cleaned state of the apartment, she ran a bath for herself. Half an hour long soak in warm water and a glass of fine red wine later, Holly emerged a woman free from all the stress of last few days.

She put on a loose straight fit jeans and a grey v-neck t-shirt. Her hair was still a little wet but it felt too good to blow dry it. She left it as it is. She situated herself on the couch with her laptop and started reviewing the article she was supposed to submit in a half-yearly journal this month. Gail would be coming with food soon enough.

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Gail threw herself on her chair in the bullpen with a loud huff. Teenagers were getting stupider and stupider with each generation. Why couldn't they understand that crime never pays? Getting the latest version of a freaking game was worth risking their whole future! "I dread the future of this universe," she grumbled to no one in particular.

Chris, who was standing in the opposite station from her, watched her with a smirk. They both were too surprised that a fourteen year old kid was so enticed with a game that apparently raiding a store with a knife for money was not a big deal. What was even more astounding was the fact that he didn't even look a little bit mortified. He was only sorry that he got caught, not sorry at all that he had attempted a crime. The fear of law was diminishing among the general folks. Such arrogant pricks, these teenagers were!

Detective Nash passed by them. She quirked an eyebrow at Chris when she saw Gail sprawled out on the chair with a deep thinker's frown.

Chris snorted. "She is dreading the future of our universe."

"Ah," Traci had heard about the incident involving the foolish teenage boy. She didn't comment. What difference would that make? "Good night, Gail. And don't think too much." She threw over her shoulder and proceeded to go where she was going.

Gail grunted in return. Her thoughts had turned to Holly and their interaction in the lab earlier that day. The future of the universe wasn't the only thing she was dreading. Gail had no idea what they would be talking about. What did she want to hear from Holly anyway? Did she want Holly to say that she wasn't worth it? Or did she want her to refute everything? In reality, though, was she really worth being with Holly? She had to wonder if she deserved her or not. From the time she had become aware of her feelings for the older woman, she had been a mess; a muddle of self-doubt and insecurities. She wasn't a fool. She knew what ever Holly felt for her was true and genuine. She could see that as clear as a day. But then what was the problem? Did she not want this to continue?

She hunched over her bench and pulled up a file to complete the reports for tonight and kept thinking. Her lips curled at the corners a little when she flashed back to their first meeting. No matter what, anytime she thought about the Forensic Pathologist, she always thought about their first meeting. Holly had taken each snide comment in stride and not once complained. With time, Gail had discovered that the older woman herself had an impressive penchant for sarcasm. It was endearing. And maybe that was the reason why they had clicked instantly. She had felt so much at home in the lab that first day; it wasn't just the silence and morbidity of that place that appealed to her conscience. It was also the presence of Holly that had provided her with a certain level of comfort, an ease that she hardly felt with someone so early after meeting them.

She knew it was unfair to compare what she had with Holly with all her previous relationships. But she couldn't help herself. What she had with Chris was a caring relationship that involved sex for some time. That feeling, the care and affection, she still felt for Chris. She valued him too much as a friend. The romantic side of it had vanished and she strangely didn't feel bad about it. In truth, she thought they were better as friends, very good friends.

With Nicholas, though, oh that was a whirlwind she never wanted to endure! She had loved him with abandon when she was young. But he had shattered her heart with a betrayal she doubted she would ever forget. The second time, she knew she had made a mistake; from the beginning itself. She had pursued the relationship for all the wrong reasons. It was naive of her to think that this time, maybe, just maybe, the outcome would differ. In the end, she had been so dejected and angry that she had resorted to hurt them both.

But Holly...she didn't make her feel angry. She didn't make her feel inadequate in anyway. She didn't point out all her faults and blame the failure on her. She made her feel cherished. The way Holly saw her, it seemed like she had no flaws at all. Her gruff personality somehow transformed into a puddle of mush in Holly's company. She craved that feeling of acceptance Holly brought out in her. It didn't feel like an endless abyss full of deadly thorns. Sure, she stood at the edge, looking down, but she knew if she jumped, she would very easily keep floating; not collapse at the pit and lay bleeding with shards piercing all over her body, never collapse. So why couldn't she just make herself jump?

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Holly fully intended to review the article but she just couldn't concentrate. Her scientific mind didn't cooperate. She thought back to what she had said to Gail earlier in the afternoon. Holly was at fault, not completely but somewhat. She knew that, she had known that all along. She had made attempts, though half-hearted. Once a day she would call Gail just to see if she answered. If not, she would leave a text to her, one scientific fact – completely useless – daily. In hindsight, though, she was in a way projecting that she was ready to talk when Gail wanted to. She wasn't going anywhere.

But she had stubbornly avoided Gail. She had to convince herself daily not to stalk her. She couldn't always be the one with an olive branch. She couldn't be the one to always seek Gail out. Gail had to learn to come to her too at times. They both had to meet somewhere in the middle, only then their relationship could work; not when Holly always had to go to the other side. Whatever, her self-respect or ego, it was that stopped her from overwhelming Gail with apologies and excuses, she was thankful to it. She knew the younger woman would not appreciate being cornered against her wishes. As for her apology, she would definitely do that tonight. Gail had agreed to have a civilized conversation. It was more than she wanted.

Holly checked the time. It was already fifteen minutes past nine. She left the laptop at the coffee table and went to the bedroom. There she took out her phone from charging and sorted through her call lists and messages. There was no message or missed call from Gail. Was she bailing out? Holly decided not to jump to conclusions, it never worked out well. She took the phone to the living room and dialled Gail's number. She settled back on the couch with a satisfied exhale.

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"Hey," Gail's voice answered after the third ring.

Holly caught the resigned tone. "Hi," she greeted.

"I was just about to leave, sorry I am late," Gail explained. She was in the dressing room changing out of her uniform. She put the phone on speaker and leaned on the lockers.

Holly heard some scuffling and grunting from the other side of the phone. She didn't want the younger woman to feel obligated to come for dinner. She sounded tired too. "Gail, listen honey, if you are too tired or if you don't want to come, you don't have to, okay?" She provided an out and held her breath.

Gail fumbled with her undershirt hurriedly. She picked up her phone but it slipped. She cursed and turned off the speaker. "What?" She snapped. "No, Holly, no, no...no," her voice got softer with each 'no'. "I want to." She sat down on the bench with her uniform pants on and only in her bra.

Holly exhaled heavily, not caring if Gail had heard her relief. The police officer had definitely caught that. She smiled at realizing that the older woman was in fact looking forward to seeing her. Some of her anxiety disappeared.

"Okay," Holly whispered. She lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. It felt too good to talk to Gail after so many days. She didn't want it to end. "You sound tired sweetie," she said softly.

Gail's heart clenched at the softness of that simple observation. She slumped down and buried her face in between her legs. The sensation of what she might have lost suddenly clawed at her insides. Her breaths shortened and her throat closed. A stifling sob tripped out of her lips.

"Gail?" Holly worriedly asked.

"Here," Gail replied after a few moments. She breathed deeply a few times to compose herself. "I missed you, Holly," she confessed and sighed as if the burden of the whole world had been lifted off of her shoulders.

"I missed you too, Gail," Holly whispered lovingly. "I am sorry, honey. I am so sorry for everything," she couldn't stop herself from saying that.

Gail didn't say anything immediately. She knew it was an apology for everything that had happened in the pub. She wanted to give them both a chance to apologise face to face, in person. So she didn't say what she wanted to. Instead, she replied, "I know, Hol. I know."

They both remained silent for a few minutes, taking comfort from the hum of each other's breathing. Gail didn't want to delay anymore. She stood up and put on her t-shirt. As she started to take off her uniform pants she asked, "Chinese will do, right?"

Holly had only eaten a light breakfast at the airport in the morning. She was too hungry to choose. "Yeah, sure." She agreed. Then something struck her. "I can order in, Gail. By the time you reach the food will be here. You don't have to take a detour," she suggested.

Gail groaned in relief. She really didn't have the energy to go to a Chinese restaurant, place the order, wait for the take-out, pay, and then go to Holly's. "Thanks, Hol." She pulled up her black skinny jeans and snatched the leather jacket out of the locker. The jacket had become a regular of her wardrobe ensemble these days. "I will be there in twenty, okay?"

"Mmmhmm," Holly distractedly answered while shuffling through the bunch of menu cards in one of the kitchen draws. "Okay, see you soon."

"Yeah," Gail breathed out. "See you soon," she agreed.

No one disconnected the call for two long minutes.

"Holly, hang up," Gail griped while smiling widely.

Holly chuckled at their stupidity. "Gail, hang up," she retorted teasingly.

"Holly," Gail whined.

"Gail," Holly whined longer.

They both burst out laughing.

Gail relented. "Okay fine! You order in and I will be there in twenty. I am hanging up now." She warned. "I am serious." She proceeded as Holly kept laughing at the other end. "Nerd," she teased.

"Oh, yeah, like that will shut me up," Holly controlled herself enough to reply. Gail whimpered on the other end. "Okay, okay," she caved. "Bye," she said softly.

Gail could hear the smile in Holly's voice. "Bye," she whispered in return and finally hung up. She pulled on the black leather jacket, ran her hands a few times through her short hair and made her way out of the division waving distractedly to the other members in the bullpen.

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**Hopefully you all liked the chapter. **

**Feedbacks will be greatly appreciated. **

**The next chapter might take a few days. It will be all about their talk. **

**I wanted a lone chapter for that, so yeah this came out of nowhere. **

**Just kidding... ;))**

**Thank You.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yeah, yeah...I know! **

**Don't you all roll your eyes at me!**

**I can't help it. I tell you, this addiction is TOXIC! **

**Thank you, you wonderful, lovely folks. **

**For every favorite, for every follow, and the time you spare for a review. **

**This is the first arc of the "Three Arc" format I have decided for this time span; from night to morning. **

**Second arc will be up in a day or two, probably. **

**I do not make any promises, I will try though. **

**Hmmm...I am thinking about claiming my rights on the show. Do you think I will get any? :P**

**Mistakes are mine. Story is mine. Gail and Holly, though, they are their own people**.

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_Hey, tked: You haven't gotten a special shout-out before? Hmmm...Well, Glad to be your first... :P Tell you what, keep showering that love and I will cascade upon you all the attention I can. It's all about mutual satisfaction, sweetheart...*wiggling eyebrows suggestively*. (All in good humor, do not mind. Please.)_

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**Okay, now I am done. Without further delay...**

**Ladies and gents(just guessing), get on with it! **

**Attack! Enjoy!**

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**Staggering Along The Way**

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**Chapter 3 - Time To Talk The Talk Of Talks: The Dusk(I)**

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As Gail stepped out on the streets, she indulged in a long, lungful of cool night air. Activities and people outside had diminished as it was already almost nine thirty at night. On instinct, she flagged for a cab. She glanced all around herself. The weather was pleasant, not the biting cold that blanketed over the city most of the year. She chose to forego the cab and walk all the way to Holly's. The cab stopped by her side. "Sorry," she apologized honestly. "I decided to walk instead," she offered with a small smile. The cabbie made a face, shrugged his shoulders and went on his merry way.

A walk was what she needed. Well, basically a little more time was what she wanted. To clear her head of all the off-putting, depressing thoughts; to dampen the fireworks of fear shooting through her nerves; and most of all she wanted a little bit of time to tighten her grip on the leash that reigned on her instinct to turn around and run. She couldn't give into it; she wouldn't, she thought resolutely. She could not give up on herself, on Holly, and on what they could have with each other, together.

Holly was in the hallway paying the delivery guy when the elevator chimed indicating an arrival and she instinctively looked at the parting doors expectantly. There, in her direct view, stood the person she had been waiting for. Gail's right leg was bent at the knee, foot pushed up against the back wall of the elevator. Her lower back aligned with the elevator and the upper portion was slightly bent forward. Both her hands were stuffed inside the jacket pockets; it was open all the way, welcoming anyone to drool at the sight of deliciously fit t-shirt bunched up over the buckle of her belt. Her short hair, the stubborn cowlick especially, had found a way in front of her right eye.

Gail peered through those platinum blond strands at the two people gaping at her. She didn't move. Actually, she didn't want to move. She wanted to stand there and let Holly's eyes run all over her. She wanted every inch of her body to be covered by that melting, chocolaty gaze. Under the jacket her arms were covered in goose flesh. Gail felt the intensity of that searching scrutiny all the way through to her bones. A delicious shiver ran down her spine and she willed herself to push forward.

Holly blinked when the other woman finally moved after what seemed like hours. She licked at her parched lips and gulped audibly. "Wow," her breath escaped her.

"I know right," the delivery guy from her left mumbled.

Holly didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't tear her eyes away from those icy, keen blue orbs. Her mouth had unexpectedly begun producing abundant amount of saliva; enough for her to keep swallowing every second. As Gail neared, her eyes for a moment fell on those boots. They were unlaced and hung open. It was the last nail in the coffin; that did it. Bizarrely enough, she noticed that her mouth was now dry; dry like a sand paper. She whimpered low in her throat and sucked in her cheeks. She inhaled deeply, kept it inside her lungs and exhaled through her mouth. No such reactions allowed tonight, she mentally berated herself. There will be time for that in future, if she was lucky.

To distract herself, she grasped onto a different route of thoughts. Holly had always been fairly confident about her easy going persona. She believed she was one of those rare lesbians who could carry off a vast spectrum of looks; from being a very lipstick lesbian to being a considerable butch. Well, the latter one would require a few adjustments obviously but she thought she had the body for it! Although, watching Gail strut toward her, with the graceful gait of a very soft butch, she felt a little bit envious for a second. She couldn't believe this was the same woman from Frank's wedding. She shook her head before those thoughts could play out the full imagery of fond moments in her mind. That would not be helpful in her situation; at all. She bit the insides of her cheeks painfully, intentionally to draw blood, to keep herself sober, in line.

Gail stopped the delivery guy from slinking away. She grabbed his collar and pulled him back. "Hand it over," she warned; her left hand forward, fingers wiggling.

"Damn it," the delivery guy cursed. "I was this close," he held his right thumb and forefinger a few inches apart and lamented. Mumbling something about his meagre salary and tips, he begrudgingly thrust a few crumbled dollars in Gail's awaiting palm. When she put the change in her pocket, he was about to say something. "If you don't want to spend tonight in a jail cell, I suggest you shut up." She declared and narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to even utter a squeak. He made a face and walked away, muttering something along the lines of 'bitch' or 'butch'. She didn't care. She turned to look at Holly and contained a smirk. "That's not the ideal way to do charity, Hol."

"Huh," Holly's voice came out as a laboured whisper. She cleared her throat. "I am sorry, what?"

"Wow," Gail scoffed, "looks like starvation has messed up your brain." She then handed over the change into Holly's free left hand. "You were giving him almost a thirty dollar tip, Hol."

Holly still felt a little hazy. She felt Gail's hand on her left upper arm pushing her inside. She wanted to shrug off the trance but a weight in her right hand disrupted her action. Her mouth fell open in a silent 'ah' when she saw the heavy bag of food hanging from her fingers, turning them almost white. With that realization, her senses awoke and started working tenfold. The sweet scent of shrimp fried rice hijacked her next breath. Moisture flooded her mouth and her stomach growled angrily in tandem. She moved to close the door and saw Gail smugly smirking at her with an elevated brow. She pushed her glasses up with her left hand knuckles clumsily, embarrassed. She carelessly put the change in the bowl of keys and clutter on the table by the door and walked off.

Gail toed off her boots easily and trotted inside to the living area. Holly's reaction had surprised her but more than that it had pleased her, pampered her ego, coddled the woman in her; may be a little too much. She was quite used to receiving the appreciative, sometimes leering, looks from people. But the way Holly had perused her body, openly, intensely, hungrily, that was a new experience. She construed, if that was how Holly saw her, always, she could get used to it. A secret smile adorning her face, she started shifting the coffee table from its place. She picked up Holly's laptop and a few other things like papers, pen, and pencil, and shifted them atop the single seater at her left side.

Holly came out of the kitchen with two cartons, chopsticks already in them. "We are eating on the floor?" She saw the space Gail had created between the couch and the coffee table. She had also placed a few cushions on the ground too.

"Yup," Gail snapped her head up with a wide eyed look; like a kid caught with hands in the cookie jar. "I like comfort," she added but then frowned at herself when she heard what she had said. Pretty meaningless, wasn't it? Was it her turn to be the goof now?

"Oh-kay," Holly kept the cartons on the coffee table. "I don't have beer. So, soda or wine or scotch or what?" She listed off the options.

Gail thought for a minute. "Soda, please."

Holly nodded and went back to the kitchen to fetch them two cans of coke. Dinner turned out be a cosy affair, without any uncomfortable pauses. Holly asked the younger woman about her day. In reply to which she got the complete rundown of disdain Gail felt for arrogant and disrespectful teenagers. When Gail returned the favour and inquired about the conference, Holly casually covered all the bases without boring Gail to tears. Holly had only finished half of her dinner when Gail got up and got herself another carton of fried rice.

Unmistakably, Holly finished early. She was in kitchen wrestling with the cork of a wine bottle as she contemplated what to drink. Wine gave her the buzz, relaxed her nerves, but it also made her sleepy. She gave up and went for the scotch. She could use a little bit of Dutch courage tonight. She took two tumblers out of the cabinet over by the sink and went to the living room.

"Planning on getting drunk, Holly," Gail quipped when she saw the taller woman with a full bottle of scotch and two tumblers. She stuffed one carton inside the other and got up to put them in the trash.

"Could use some liquid courage tonight," Holly stated a little thoughtfully.

Gail didn't say anything. She dumped the waste, drank a few sips of water and carried that bottle with her. She took her sweet time in settling down on the carpet with her back prompted up against the single seater, that way she was seated by Holly's right.

Holly was sitting the same way but she was settled against the couch and her legs extended in front of her. The tumblers and bottle kept in between them. She took off her specs and squished it in the space between the cushion and the hand-rest of the couch.

They both inhaled at the same time and caught each other's gaze.

Chuckling nervously, Gail poured them both the cursory two fingers of scotch. "So..." she let it hang as she handed one tumbler to Holly.

"So what?" Holly smirked.

Gail narrowed her eyes and pulled at her lips a little sideways, like she often did. "How do people have 'the talk'?" She genuinely was curious at this point. To calm the butterflies in her stomach, she took a large gulp of the scotch, deliberately slowing the course of the burning liquid.

"I don't know, Gail," Holly answered staring into the amber liquid, swirling it around in the glass; fascinated by the different textures it produced at different angles. She wasn't very good at stalling. "I guess you just go for the kill."

Gail remained quiet. She watched Holly for a few minutes. She would give away her limbs to see what was going through the brunettes head. "Go for the kill, huh?" She mumbled to herself. But maybe Holly had heard her because the next moment she saw Holly gulp down the scotch in one swallow like a shot, without even a single wince. Guess, she didn't have to rid herself of her limbs. It was becoming quite evident that Holly was tense and maybe scared too. She gently drank the remaining scotch. "Do you really think me being just a beat cop doesn't matter to you?" She kept her voice as gentle as she possibly could. She had only just bent to grab the bottle when it was snatched away.

Holly was too tempted to turn to her right and face the blonde. She couldn't. The fact that Gail needed to actually ask her that, slashed through her heart swiftly. It hurt. It stung. From Gail's point of view, though, maybe it was a fair question. She gritted her jaw and poured herself another drink, double of the previous one. She passed the bottle to Gail without looking at her. "It matters, Gail. But not in the way you are thinking. Or in the manner that Lisa suggested." She managed before she took a small sip. Her head lolled back on the couch and her right arm stretched along the length of the cushion, as much as it could reach. "It matters because it scares me too much. It matters because I respect you...for that; a lot. It matters because I feel proud of myself...for being so closely associated with you...with someone so brave." Her voice faded a little at the end. She lifted her left hand and took a mouthful of her drink. She cleared her throat. "It matters because I want you to be the best cop ever...but at the same time," her composure shook, voice wavered a little. "But at the same time I am so fucking tempted to cuff you , to restrain you from ever going out there...from ever putting yourself in danger for other people's sake." All the frazzled emotions she had felt that day...oh that fateful day...when for the first time ever she had faced a fear so daunting, so consuming...the day when she had been so desperate to live all her life in just a few moments, with Gail...the day when she had realized what she felt for the younger woman wasn't just friendship...it was never just friendship. She felt all those tedious sensations slithering over her spine, coiling around her heart one by one, making her restless like she was that day. She guzzled the remaining scotch without break.

Gail was in the middle of pouring her drink when she got fixated by the struggle so plainly betrayed on Holly's face. She heard every word. But more than that she felt them imprinting her heart, gentle but forceful enough to jolt her vigorously out of the bubble she lived in, one of self-consciousness, of self-doubt. She wanted to pop it, badly. But she needed further reassurances. "Then why didn't you say anything?" She muttered, clawing at the label of the bottle, not wanting to make eye contact. She already felt pathetic and small. "Why did you say you were just having fun? Is that all I am to you?" She took a swig of it from the bottle itself, hoping it would push down the huge lump, that kept increasing by the second, in her throat.

Holly's first instinct, first sight was red; the kind of red that associated with blinding rage. Her second instinct was despair, pure sadness. Rage, because she felt extremely angry towards everybody who was responsible for putting that seed of insecurity in Gail's mind. If it was up to her, she would tear them apart and eradicate them out of Gail's life forever. Despair, because it was plain sad that someone so beautiful, inside and outside, just couldn't see the wonder that she was. How could Gail not recognize the sheer strength she possessed or the resilience she thrived upon or the selflessness she spread unto others; granted it always disguised in a prickly, snarky package. How could Gail so flippantly avoid looking at how caring, loving, and giving a person she was? Why did she feel the need to hide behind abrasiveness, cloak her sadness with cutting, icy stares, be so vulnerable and yet protect herself with vigour so fierce? She abruptly snorted at something. "Trust me, Gail, if I could put it into words...I would tell you what you are to me." She sounded hoarse and her words carried forward the aridity she felt in her throat.

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**So? What? Your opinion and constructive criticism...please review! **

**I need them to fuel my creativity... I am serious as a heart attack. **

**Second arc will be a bit more emotional than this...Just sayin'. **

**Will see you all in two or three days, hopefully!**

**Thank You.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: "Maybe I am addicted...I am outta control..."**

**Yeah...My voice and Enrique's don't really go well together! **

**Hola Amigos! How y'all fairing, huh? **

**I can't say much more than thank you. **

**For every favorite, every follow, and for the creativity fueling reviews. **

**So, I present to you the second arc of the talk timeline; somewhere in the middle of the night.**

**Compared to the previous chapters, this is a slightly longer one; it needed to be. **

**The third and the final arc should be up soon, though do not hold your breath. **

**The flight to Canada will be tedious one, so I thought to spare the producers of RB. **

**Thus, going back to claiming no rights on the show whatsoever. **

**Mistakes are mine. Story is mine too. **

**To whomsoever this may concern: - **

**Without further delay, please proceed!**

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**Staggering Along The Way**

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**Chapter 4 - Time To Talk The Talk Of Talks: Pre-Dawn (II)**

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Silence, piercing silence overtook the ambiance when Holly didn't say anything further. Seconds morphed into minutes; long, dragged out, torturously slow minutes, that both of them spent rifling through their respective minds.

Gail was still conflicted about what to believe and what to suspect. Her insecurity, that had festered, aggravated, by the years was not something she could very easily refute. She didn't ask Holly to elaborate. She didn't want it to turn stressful. They had a long night of uncertainties ahead, what was the hurry to approach the doom, right? She finished what was probably her fourth drink in the last two hours. The effects of alcohol too had taken a backseat tonight it seemed, not wanting to come in between them and their conversation. Holly had been staring at something beyond the leg of the coffee table for a long time, unmoving. Gail slid down a little, extended her left leg, and when it was within reach, bumped the big toe into Holly's right leg.

Holly wrenched out of her reverie when she felt the unwelcoming poke against her leg. She scowled and swivelled her head to her right. Coming to realization, her features softened. A slow smile snuck upon her lips when she saw Gail tentatively watching her attentively for some reaction, probably a harsh one. "Hey," she muttered, audibly enough for the younger woman to hear.

Gail smiled in return, relieved that Holly didn't lash out. For a minute there she was sure she was going to get a pretty good scolding! "Hi! You got lost somewhere?" She asked and stretched out her left hand, indicating the other woman to pass the bottle of scotch to her.

Holly grabbed the long neck of the bottle and placed the bottom of it in Gail's outstretched palm. "Yeah, it seems like it." She agreed to what Gail had said. Her attention went to her own empty tumbler and instantly confusion marred her composure. "Why isn't this working?" She expressed her concern. The alcohol should have been working by now. She had had four or so pegs of it, hadn't she?

Gail snorted as she poured a drink for herself. "You got me! I was just thinking the same thing." She forwarded the bottle back to Holly. "Maybe this is one of those sneaky bastard ones that only show their true colours the morning after." Gail theorized and lifted her tumbler at eye-level. Her narrowed blue slits surveyed the confusing yet beautiful texture of the thick, ornate glass against the amber of scotch.

Something akin to 'so cute' almost slipped through Holly's mouth, almost. She smiled at Gail's adorable posture and made her own drink, a large one. She raised it and waited to catch the blonde's notice. When the younger woman looked at her a few seconds later, she tipped it in a silent gesture of 'cheers' and took a languid sip. This time, she thought, maybe she should try savouring the drink. Perhaps, then the effects would start to surface. It had been a long while since she had drank this much scotch or any kind of hard liquor. She mostly stuck with beer, wine, or when in a pub she opted for one or two glasses of Jack & Coke. With that sip, she concentrated on the journey of the liquid. She felt the warmth coating the insides of her throat and cascade down, causing the heat to expand all through her midsection. She breathed in deeply and as she exhaled, she prepared herself for the onslaught that was yet to come. "So, where were we?"

Gail smirked at that question. So, it had been a good thing she didn't interrupt Holly's calm, the older woman was warming up it appeared. She watched the brunette consume her drink very slowly and imitated the action. "Why say that to your friend? We both know I am anything but fun." She said in a small voice. She knew it wasn't an easy job keeping up with her. And what Holly had seen of her, she was sure she wasn't synonymous to any words that meant 'fun'.

Holly exhaled heavily through her nose when she heard the question. Her back immediately slackened from previously being ramrod straight in nervous anticipation. She didn't want Gail to ask her to continue where she had left off. She didn't know if she could do it if asked, right that minute. So, this was in comparison an easy one. She laughed softly when an amusing thought crossed her mind.

Gail twisted her face, a little irritated and still deciding if she should be offended or not. "What?" She snapped.

Holly straightened herself, bent her right leg at the knee and slouched forward. She took a few seconds to twist herself so she faced Gail completely and rested the tumbler in front of her on the carpet. "You see um...you know...uh...when you uh...spin a coin... or toss it up...in the air?" She began somewhat hesitantly, coming up with a paradigm.

Gail instantly knew this would be some analogy that was bound to go way above her head. "Yeah, Hol, I know. It's either heads or tails." She replied roughly. "Everybody knows that. What's your point?"

"Ssshhh," Holly scrunched up her face and pressed her right forefinger to her lips a few times. "Don't be impatient." She took a large sip and 'aahhed' satisfyingly. She attempted a very serious look and started her explanation. "It's not always heads or tails. Sometimes, the coin stands on its edge and wobbles...either way. You can't predict the outcome in such situations. But when the coin finally falls, only then you get to know the result." She went back to her drink. "That's what happened with me...actually with us."

Gail was thoroughly confused. She could see Holly was getting a little flail-y. "What's a fucking coin got to do with what happened that night?" She wasn't a very patient person, Holly knew that.

"I tried to control a situation," Holly fell silent. After a second of thoughtfulness she abruptly started again. "I tried to control a situation and it backfired." She looked at Gail, her eyes wide and sad.

"I don't understand, Holly," Gail sighed while rubbing at her forehead. "Please just stop talking in circles and get to the point, will you?"

Holly crossed her legs Indian-style and sat herself straight. "I have known Lisa since medical school." She began in a no-nonsense tone. "She is the kind of person who passes snap judgments about people, all the time. Her priorities in life constitute of materialistic things, money, status, and all such stuff." She finished her drink and gestured for Gail to fill it up. "She has been that way since I have known her. There have been no huge hardships in her life and she has been accustomed to getting what she wants very easily, without much struggle." She mumbled thanks to Gail and lifted her glass to her lips. "I know I am not supposed to recite her bio-data to you but I swear this will make sense. There are certain things, deep, emotional, meaningful things in my life that she doesn't understand. And that's okay with me because I know she is not a bad person. She doesn't do it intentionally. She just is like that...it's in her nature." She breathed in and out. "That night when she started talking about your job, I knew I had to stop her from going further. So, I did what I always do. I deflected. I spoke the language she understands to prevent her from speaking anything about your job or our relationship." Holly scoffed and shrugged her shoulders. "I mean for god's sake, she doesn't even want to understand why I do what I do?"

Gail shook her head disapprovingly still unable to comprehend the logic of it all. "So, you can't actually talk to her, she doesn't understand you or respects your job, and she thinks that anyone who is a doctor should be working in a major hospital printing shit-loads of money, and should date or sleep with doctors only." Gail raised her eyebrows at Holly asking if she had the facts straight. "Why the fuck is she your friend? And you called her practically family?"

"I am friends with her because I care about her. And I know she cares about me. I can guarantee you or give you in writing that she would always be there when I need her." Holly took a defensive stance. "Sure, she wouldn't be very helpful say during...umm a heartbreak but you know what, suppose if tomorrow I have an accident and I become an invalid, that woman would feed me, keep me with her, take care of me all my life without complaining." Holly stressed. "What does that tell you, huh? She might be superficial or judgmental but aren't we all awful in some ways?" Her brown gaze bored into Gail's blue ones. "Her priorities don't make sense to us and our priorities don't make sense to her. But don't you think it's unfair to say she is a bad person just because of that?"

"She might be your friend but that doesn't give her the right to demean you or your profession or anybody's profession for that matter, Holly," Gail countered. She knew what Holly was trying to say made sense, not a lot of sense but some sense. Not everybody who existed on the surface of the earth was super nice and still they had friends, family, people in their lives that cared about them. And Holly, obviously, was the kind of person who saw the good in everyone.

"You are right," Holly assented calmly. "But I know when to take her seriously and when not to. I have known for years now. Her expressing concern about my profession is her way of caring. I am a better doctor than her and she knows that. So, yeah it might be little confusing for her simple mind to comprehend why I chose to be a pathologist." She reasoned amicably. "Her mindset is perfect for a plastic surgeon. She sees the superficiality in everything. The only thing she readily agreed upon was the fact that you are gorgeous. It was your job that worried her a little. And I think she had a right to be concerned. After all, she has seen me through a few breakups." She sniggered lightly at those past memories of her college years. "And about why I said that...first, because I didn't want to discuss the details of our relationship with a third party even before we had the chance to do it. Second, because defending you or your job to Lisa would have made the situation even worse. She would have started an endless tirade about why we were so wrong for each other...and third, because I simply wanted her to shut up and back off." Holly heaved a sigh and sagged against the couch. "So, yeah, the choice of words was a little stupid and inconsiderate but it wasn't meant for you, Gail. It was simply a deflection. And that's what I meant about the coin toss... you being there behind me just changed the situation drastically." She frowned doubtfully at her own analogy, wondering if it made any sense or not. But still, she went on. "I was angling for a heads...almost sure I had got it, but your presence just flicked it to tails in an instant. And, thus, I became the fool who..." unexpectedly Holly slammed the tumbler on the carpet and the scotch swished out of it a little. Her eyes were blinking rapidly as a horrible realization dawned over her sleepy conscience. "Oh my God, Gail," she spoke in an urgent tone. She dipped her head and threaded all her fingers tightly in her hair at her hairline; both her palms pressing into her eyes, elbows digging into her bent knees. How could she be so freaking blind? She doubted she had ever been such an ignorant idiot in her life before. Gail hearing her say that, that they were just having fun...God how it must have hurt the younger woman. She knew of her insecurities and still...she had inadvertently made it worse for Gail. She had become one of the people to stroke, to fuel Gail's insecurities when she had said that to Lisa. She abruptly pushed herself on her knees. In three strides she was in Gail's personal space. She tried to swallow down the fear but her guilt, in that moment, overwhelmed her. She couldn't stop the tears from gathering in her eyes and her shaking hands framed Gail's face delicately. She traced that porcelain skin beneath tired looking blue pools with her thumbs and followed the movement with her eyes.

"Hol?" Gail whispered apprehensively. The brunette's sudden action had taken her by surprise and the haunted look in those deep chocolates at once started grating at her nerves.

Holly flicked her eyes to Gail's worried ones. "You are so beautiful, you know that?" She stalled for a few seconds gathering every morsel of courage she could. The tip of her tongue peaked out to poke at her upper lip anxiously but it didn't stop her lips from quivering. "I am so sorry," she vehemently apologised. She tried to swallow the thickness smothering the insides of her throat. "I am so, so sorry, Gail." By this time the moisture in her eyes had escaped its threshold. "I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it..." her voice was that was too thick and gruff, trailed off. The guilt was seconds away from wracking her body mercilessly. "You have to believe me, Gail. Please," she begged, "please, tell me you believe me." Her eyelids draped over her wet pools as more tears streaked down her cheeks. She rested her forehead against Gail's. "You have got to believe me. You need to believe me. Please." She kept repeating softly and shook her head in contempt, at herself, at her stupidity, at her ignorance, at everything. She was so damn lucky Gail was even sitting here with her, giving her another chance; when she really didn't need to. In an act of desperation, she secured both her hands behind Gail's neck and buried her face in the warm juncture of Gail's neck and shoulder while allowing herself some reprieve in form of deep, uncontrollable sobs.

Gail's breath slammed out of her lungs and she was unable to grasp on to her need to inhale the next one. Her mouth gaped and fortunately some of the oxygen from surroundings reached her lungs, then her brain; which started functioning a few seconds later. Her eyes flicked down to her hands that were gripped around the taller woman tightly. She didn't realize in what moment she had latched on to Holly so urgently. Her body, perhaps, in its own right understood how to act around Holly; without her neurons having to work. She slowly became aware of the remnants of wetness Holly's anguish had left on her skin. It burned; the patch of skin where the older woman had cried...it was scorching. She swore she could feel them like the ruins of a dream, stabbing at her heart, cursing at her for causing such agony to this beautiful, wonderful woman in her arms; still shaking with the aftermath of her breakdown. She flattened her palms and soothingly ran it all over Holly's back. Momentarily she registered how thin the t-shirt material was; but she didn't ponder further on it.

For a few minutes they clung to each other for dear life. The space between their bodies was almost non-existent. Holly's face was still buried in Gail's neck and she was straddling the outstretched thighs. Gail's head was tilted to her right, her right cheek resting against Holly's warm one. Her hands were completely draped across the older woman's back and her palms grasping at Holly's opposite sides beneath her ribs as she rocked them to and fro.

Finally, when the sniffling died down Gail gathered the courage to say what she had been itching to. "It hurt, Hol." The wisps of her soft utterances fell directly on Holly's ear. Her lips, in fact, grazed the soft shell of the brunette's right ear when she spoke or moved her lips. She felt Holly pry out of the embrace but she didn't relent. Instead she pulled her in further. She felt Holly's jaw move but before any word could come out from the other woman's mouth she spoke. "Ssshhhh, just listen to me. I have to get this out before I lose my nerve, please." She requested and Holly's head bobbed in reply twice. "It hurt to hear you say that, too much. And I just lashed out...since the day our dynamic had changed, since the day I accepted that I feel something more than just friendship for you, I have been a mess, Hol." She chuckled dryly. After a second's respite, she continued. "I doubted that someone like you would want to be with someone like me...you know a person so rude, disrespectful, mean, and no doubt many, many such unlikeable adjectives." She paused again. "That day, during the shift, I had been a restless bundle of nerves. As a result of which, I had babbled about your awesomeness and sexy librarian type nerdiness to Dov." A sigh. "And when I heard you, well...it opened the gates to me. And I thought, hey, I was worrying for no reason. Fun is over, so go on...the ride is done with." She was running out of words. "And that's why I wasn't ready to talk about us...define us. It would have made it all very real, very tangible...very terrifying." Another long sigh. "So, yeah...I am sorry too." Somewhat relaxed, she let Holly go and deposited her arms at her sides in a boneless heap.

Holly remained where she was. She closed her eyes for a second and just breathed in the essence that was purely Gail. Turning her head a little she nuzzled her nose along the short hairs behind the blonde's ear. Before departing she placed a soft kiss there, promising her return. She kept her right hand behind the column of the pale neck and with the knuckles of her left hand she traced Gail's strong, defined jaw structure. She pushed at her chin until the younger woman gave in and matched her gaze head on. "I had been walking on eggshells around you since the day of the shooting," she didn't let Gail duck her head or avoid her eyes. "I am grateful you let me see a side of you that early in our relationship...I am actually honoured that you trusted me enough to spiral out of control in my presence, in my home...but that scared me a lot too, you know." Her voice gradually returned to her natural deep cadence. "I couldn't just come out and ask you to define us...to talk about what we meant to each other. And that, right there, was the pitch of my insecurity," she confessed unabashedly. "You had only been with guys before me...and the longer we went on without discussing what was going on, the more insecure I became. In fact, in hindsight, I realize that asking you to meet my friends was an attempt to make it real without making it real...without us doing anything, you know." She continued to caress Gail's chin and jaw lightly. "Because you introduce your significant other, the person you are dating, or you are with, to your friends, right? But, that was unfair...on both of us." She nodded to herself in acknowledgement of her stupidity. She peered seriously into Gail's eyes and slid the column of her nose alongside the blonde's. "I am sorry for subjecting you...actually, both of us to that; before we were ready." She finished and gently placed her forehead against Gail's.

Gail saw the sincerity floating in those pair of brown pools. It was enough; for now. She lifted her hands and cupped the older woman's tear stained cheeks. With her thumbs she wiped at the soft skin. Then her hands travelled down and she rested her palms gently at the brunette's back, beneath the curve of Holly's shapely shoulder bones. Again, her sub-conscious registered the thin material of the t-shirt. Involuntarily her fingers dug themselves into the concave area created between the spine and the bones. She tilted her head up a little; teasingly close enough to breathe the same air as Holly. "Now what," her voice on its own turned raspy with need. She saw those eyelids flutter close and when they curtained up, she gasped silently. She practically saw the browns in Holly's eyes swirling, dissolving, and transforming itself into dark brown of still hot, melting, steaming chocolate. She licked her lips and watched the intensity in them increase as the gaze fell on her dry, parched, hungry, pair of lips.

"Now," Holly's tone was deeper than usual and huskiness took a whole new meaning for Gail in just that one word. "If you would give me another chance, I want to discover what we could be together...me and you...together, just the way you are. No changes, everything as it was. But yes, this time around, we need to talk to each other more," she quipped and smirked.

"No changes at all," Gail raised her eyebrows in question and bit her bottom lip impatiently.

"Nope," Holly replied giddily. "No changes at all."

"Not even with me being mean and snarky," Gail went on.

"I wouldn't have the name 'Lunchbox' if you weren't all those things, Officer Peck," Holly teased and tried hard to contain the smile threatening to split her face into two.

Gail purred low in her throat. "Well, then what are you waiting for, Doctor Stewart?" She rasped and licked her lips in anticipation.

Holly dipped her head down, her lips parted in acceptance and greed. "I would really appreciate a clue, Officer Peck," she knowingly dragged out the moment.

Gail growled under the grinding teeth. "Holly." She could feel those long, nimble fingers of Holly's right hand threading in and out of her short hair at the nape of her neck. The brunette's left hand cupped her face gently and traced the outline of her bottom lip. She, at last, unable to wait anymore, brought her left hand behind Holly's head and pulled her in. They were only a breath apart when she mumbled, "you really do talk too much."

Their lips brushed against each other. Heated puff of air escaped their nostrils at the same time. Holly fit her lips perfectly against Gail's and pressed slightly; her eyes closed. When she dipped the second time she was surprised for a moment; her plump lower lip very easily slid between the blonde's parted lips. After a moment's shock, she responded by draping her own lip over Gail's upper one, wetting it thoroughly. And then the rhythm began; the movements they had mastered in their time together. She felt Gail's teeth graze her lip. As she moaned, the grip she had on those short blonde locks tightened and she hungrily sucked on Gail's upper lip.

Gail groaned thickly when Holly stretched her lip and kept sucking on it. She fisted a bunch of that long, silky, dark hair and pulled. A delicious hiss prompted Holly to abandon what she was doing and subject herself to Gail's wishes; after all Gail had ideas.

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**Huh? So? Thoughts? Creative criticism? **

**Just about anything, drop a review please. **

**Also, I really hope that this chapter made sense to people as much as it did for me while writing. **

**I have taken a very simple approach to their debacle. An approach that defines how perfectly human they both are. In fact, everybody is. **

**And I really would like to hear/read thoughts about it. And, yes, I realize some people might agree while some might clearly think of this as stupid. **

**Oh, well, what can I do? Such is the world. I just hope it was worth your time. **

**Will be back in two or three days, probably. Remember, no promises though. **

**Thank You, you lovely, wonderful folks.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: "This world's gonna burn...burn...burn...burn"**

**Yup! That MS MR song was on repeat while I wrote this. **

**This is the third and the final arc of the talk timeline. **

**Thank you all for so much love and positive feedback.**

**Thanks for every favorite, every follow, and every review. **

**Hmmm...I am still debating on the rights issue. I want to claim but dunno if I shouldl... ;))**

**Mistakes are all mine. Story too is mine.**

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_Hey Shakenandstirred: Hmmm...is that how you like your martini or is that how you prefer everything in your life? ;) Anyway, you got a valid point and I gotta give it to you for noticing. See the thing is, when I decided to write the patch-up routine for these two gorgeous ladies, I knew it would be an emotional and tedious journey. As a writer, I feel every emotion I write about and it's just too tiring and scary often times. So, sometimes for my personal amusement I put in a quirk, something that is unrealistic, very far reaching, and hope that readers don't notice. The scotch thing here, was just that; a hyperbole statement just for my own entertainment. And if you read the fourth chapter, there the scene where they wonder why the alcohol isn't affecting them, that was a dig at myself. So, yeah, I am kinda weird; I know! But as I said, my personal entertainment and a balance between the rawness of emotions. Also, about your question, no, I haven't done anything like it before. I love the rustic taste and burn of scotch but I prefer it on the rocks. Thanks for the review and hope I will see one for this chapter too. Take care. _

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**Yeah, now you can all proceed. **

**So, presenting to you lovely folks... The last part of 'The Talk'.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Staggering Along The Way**

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**Time To Talk The Talk Of Talks: Dawn (III)**

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In the last hour or two, she wasn't very sure when Gail had slouched down a little more. Which changed Holly's straddling position from her thighs to her lower abdomen. They had been kissing most of that time; sometimes aggressively but mostly they allowed their lips to get reacquainted slowly, softly, and oh so seductively! Gail's head was resting on the cushion of the single-seater behind her; neck completely exposed for Holly to lovingly nuzzle all over the pale column. Every serration, every hollow, every elevation, Holly's lips whispered over every single inch of that velvety soft skin. Gail was enjoying it; maybe too much. She bathed in it, revelled in it; it had been too long since she had felt such peace. Anything and everything that existed in her body was humming in happiness. Without her knowledge, a slight hum borrowed her voice and sneaked out.

Before the sound could befall Holly's ears, she felt the movement beneath her lips. Her eyes fixed on the raised column in the middle; it bobbed up and down when Gail swallowed silently. She felt offended, ridiculously so, but somehow she didn't want anything to shift without her permission. Before she could think it over she reacted with her own definition of punishment. Her lips parted and her teeth caught the skin that had dared move and pulled at it showing no mercy.

Gail's eyes snapped open when she felt the sting of Holly's teeth. Her hands that were only resting on the brunette's thighs grabbed onto those muscles in surprise, her head pushed back into the cushion on its own and her body arched into Holly's; offering, begging, and pleading for the feast to begin.

And just like that the mood altered. Holly's hands came around Gail's curved body and pulled her in trying to merge them together, skin and soul alike; trying to eliminate every speck of matter between them, no boundaries, no outlines, no air, nothing, absolutely nothing. She blinked out of haze when the patch of skin she had latched onto escaped. Her focus shifted and honed in onto the red, angry mark glaring at her. She cursed herself for getting carried away and contorted her face in trepidation thinking she had crossed a line of comfort for Gail.

Gail felt those eyelashes fluttering against her neck. For a fraction of a second, she was amused by the intensity of awareness her body felt in that moment; fascinated by the fact that she was capable of picking up such minute brush against her skin. The muscles under her grip at Holly's thighs tensed too. She loosened her hold and tried to relax her body. Holly's face was still buried in her neck and those long arms were still woven around her tightly. "Holly," Gail breathed as her eyes stared at the ceiling pointlessly.

Holly curbed the temptation to repeat her action when she felt the vibration her name had caused under her lips. She relaxed her arms but kept it around the shorter woman and rested her forehead on the nearest shoulder. "Hmmm," she responded.

Gail breathed and lifted her head from the cushion. She kissed Holly's left temple and rested her cheeks there. "As much as I am enjoying this, you are squishing my bladder," she said with a straight face.

Holly's whole body shook with soft, almost inaudible laughter. She brought her palms to rest against the cushion, capturing the blonde's head in between her hands. She stretched back and caught the swimming blue eyes. She didn't want to presume whether the cloudiness in those orbs was due to alcohol or arousal; but she wished for the latter. "Oh?" Holly gave that charming lopsided smile. Next she quirked an eyebrow at Gail playfully, "sure you can't hold it? I like it here," she closed her thighs a little more. "It's comfy," she pouted and tilted her head to the right.

Gail's lips curled at corners at the adorability Holly portrayed in that pose. Her right hand left its place and came up to tame the long dark locks that were falling across Holly's cheek down to her neck. Carefully, with only the tips of her fingers, she gathered them, traced them down to the ear, and then curled them behind the soft shell but not before sketching the outline of the flexible shell with her thumb. She wanted to express how magnificent she thought Holly was but the words 'you are beautiful' would most certainly fail to convey those emotions. Her fingers found reprieve at the back of Holly's neck, curtained by the glorious fall of hair. She licked her dry lips and sat up straight.

Holly saw the shift in Gail's features, enthralled and entrapped in the moment. As she righted her neck, the fingers resting at the nape of her neck dug into the hollow at the base of her skull. Her own fingers were turning white as she clutched at the cushion with all her strength. She felt those digits pull her forward and she let them.

Gail used her thumb to pull at the older woman's chin as a result of which those enticing lips parted. Without delay, she seized the lower lip in between hers and sucked ruthlessly. Her indigo eyes met the bronzed pair seeking her. She practically saw the flecks in Holly's eyes shrink and pupils dilate. That fuelled her further and she draped her eyelids over her burning orbs. She then brought her teeth in the mix and bit into the supple lip. Her tongue later took it upon itself to soothe the sting and when satisfied she let it go with a resounding pop.

Holly was way over in her head. She couldn't think. Actually, she didn't want to think. Keeping her eyes closed, she dove in. Her tongue instantly pushed into the warm, wet, luscious cavern of Gail's mouth. The roughness of her tongue teased the underside of Gail's tongue. They both moaned in unison. Seconds later, she naughtily started keeping her tongue out of reach. When the opposite tongue came searching for it, she sucked it inside her own mouth; her cheeks almost hollow.

What sweet torture it was. Had she ever been kissed liked that? Gail doubted. No, she was pretty sure she had never been kissed like that; like the other person was so hungry for every part of her that they just couldn't wait anymore. Holly was breathing her in, spending her with saccharine coated torment. In the struggle of getting her tongue free, she felt those teeth run over it. It was too much for her. She wretched her mouth away before she could do something stupid. "You literally left me breathless," she panted, her eyes still closed. She buried her face under Holly's chin and felt the warm skin against her cheek. She rubbed her cheek against any warmth available, allowing the feeling of combined softness to pacify her heart.

Holly chuckled throatily. "It's only fair, Gail," she retorted. Then a breath apart, "you have been stealing my breath away for forever now," she confessed in a much softer tone.

Gail could hear the rushed thuds of Holly's heart under her skin. She placed her right palm there and concentrated. After a while she realized that their hearts were beating together, beat after beat they complemented each other. Everything she became, she did, she wanted when she was with Holly was a wonder for her. She lifted her head and searched the other woman's calming brown eyes. When she found them, the open look of adoration and want made her skip a beat. She felt it in herself and in Holly too. "How can you do this to me, Holly?" She asked in astonishment. She really wanted to know.

Holly blinked twice. She cocked her head a little. "Do what, Gail?" She spoke in a hushed voice so as not to disrupt the quality of the moment. She was right there on the verge of going insane with want. Her skin tingled everywhere; even her scalp felt like it had generated goose bumps all over the hair covered surface. It was truly a marvel that her skin wasn't melting away due to all the fire burning inside her.

"This," Gail answered. "Make me feel so much." She whispered harshly as if the frustration of not knowing the reason was getting to her. Her eyes burned with tears and she didn't know if she should be happy or sad or if she should even feel anything at all.

"The more you fight it, the more it hurts," Holly supplied the same way as previously. "I gave in a long time ago." She continued and brushed away those tears under Gail's eyes with her thumbs.

She was being completely honest. She had wondered in the beginning how it was possible for someone she didn't even technically know to swirl all those emotions inside her. Not once, not twice, but every single time she saw Gail, she felt the beginning of a thunderstorm threatening to wreck her from inside out. "You have to have some faith, Gail," she whispered and kissed the side of her mouth.

Gail tried to exhale out all the uncertainties simmering deep within her. Holly's presence was helping but still she feared what would happen once she was alone. "Have faith?" She inquired sceptically. "Yeah, like that will help." She scoffed. But just because she was truly terrified and she really had to know, she asked. "Did it work for you?"

Holly had to smile at that. "No, it didn't," she responded honestly. Her eyes twinkled mischievously and that smile upturned. "You still weaselled your way in." She quipped and curled her larger digits around the fingers that were resting above her heart; depicting what and where she meant.

Gail narrowed her eyes and twisted her mouth to side puckering her lips a little. She snatched her hand away and mock glared at Holly. "Weaselled? Seriously?" She squirmed beneath the older woman which reminded her of her blasting bladder. "Just for that, you don't get to kiss me anymore." She declared as acutely as she could.

"Oh," Holly widened her eyes in fear, dramatically. "Like you could resist kissing me," she teased but the undertone carried the seriousness the statement was meant for.

"Touche," Gail countered smugly. "And now if you don't mind, my bladder has been crying for attention."

Holly's lips formed a silent 'oh' and she scrambled away from Gail's lap. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head, groaning deeply with satisfaction.

Gail who was still sitting eyed the part of Holly's abdomen that peeked at her as the grey t-shirt rid up. She gulped and turned her head. Careful not to make any sudden movements, she got up and twisted her torso in both the directions.

"Well, you know where the washroom is," Holly said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, yeah," Gail moaned in a small voice knowing what was going on in Holly's mind. When you make such a spectacle of yourself in someone else's bathroom, they are bound to tease you; she said to herself as she walked away.

After doing the business, she went to the washbasin to clean her hands. There she stared at her reflection. The past moments came flashing by and she shuddered like a chill had gone through her. She gripped the sink to keep herself straight. Yeah, right; she chuckled, straight, as if. She craned her neck and was strangely very delighted at the mark Holly's teeth had left at the centre of her pale neck. Her right hand lifted itself up and the fingertips traced that patch of skin. Her eyes fell close; she could still feel the wonderful sting it had caused. She had an urge to moan and maybe she did, she wasn't sure. Her fingertips then started mapping her neck and travelled down to the hollow of her throat. She hummed. The hand wasn't hers anymore; it was Holly painting the contours with her fingers. The wanton lust she had seen in Holly's eyes when she was kissing her blazed through her conscience, jarring her away from her dream. "Fuck" she hissed and her hand was back to gripping the sink. She breathed a few times and glared into her sapphire eyes. She clenched them shut when she saw they were wide with lust, brimming with want like she had never known. She pointed a finger at her reflection a minute later. "You," her voice seemed foreign to her own ears. "You, Officer Peck, are horny." She pursed her lips in and nodded. "You aren't allowed to," she shook her head sideways. "Not yet," she exhaled and her eyes closed. All the images of what it would be like to be with Holly, completely and physically, rushed to her brain's forefront. She slapped her cheeks and jumped up and down all the while mumbling what a horny idiot she was, unaware that Holly outside was struggling with the same predicament.

Holly paced the floor nervously and restlessly; wriggling her hands at her sides to lessen the tenseness of her 'screaming for sex' body! If the area was open, she would be sprinting no doubt. She breathed in through her nose and breathed out of her mouth; repeatedly in order to calm her jumping nerves. There was a reason being celibate for long was not recommended for human beings. This is what happened, she berated herself; a little making out and you have become a sex crazed nymph all of a sudden, get it together, Holly! She kept up with the breathing exercise and started reciting the bones and muscles in a human body from skull to toe. When she reached the mouth and the muscles there, her salivary gland ceased functioning. Her throat was dry and she stilled at a spot. The swayed when the feeling of Gail's tongue duelling against hers hit her with a vengeance. She whimpered and hugged her midsection; she was in trouble, so, so much trouble. "Hey," she heard Gail say from somewhere behind her and shivered.

Gail noticed. She came forward and started rubbing her palms over Holly's upper arms. "Are you cold?" She asked with a frown.

"No," Holly mumbled. She cleared her throat and fortunately for her the salivary gland was back to performing its duties. "I was...uh umm...counting muscles?" She meant to answer but it came out as a counter question.

Gail scrunched her face at the incredulity of that answer. She snorted and shook her head. She sighed and went over to the single-seater chair to pick up her leather jacket. Without explaining she put it on and then she turned to face Holly. "I...uh..mmhhmmm um should go," she muttered and pointed her thumb at the front door of the apartment.

Holly blinked in confusion a few times. "No...what?" She felt unsettled all of a sudden. "No...no, Gail. It's middle of the night. Why do want to go?" She rushed out in a single breath.

Gail smiled lovingly. "It's morning, Hol," she softly declared. "Look," she pointed at the clock in the living room.

Holly twisted her torso to see the time and most definitely it was around five o'clock in the morning. "But it's still dark outside, Gail," she argued without turning.

"Yeah, well," Gail muttered. She walked to the front door and started putting up her boots.

Holly watched the younger woman and she knew there was something she was hiding. She followed her to the door and waited for the police officer to finish putting on her shoes. She stood in Gail's personal space peering down at her without saying anything.

Gail clenched her jaw and willed herself not to react, to use all the training the academy had ingrained in her not to break under any circumstances. She swiftly turned to open the door and duck out before Holly could question her. She was successful in opening the door but her right forearm was clasped firmly before she could walk out. Holly was deceivingly stronger than she appeared, she mused.

Holly took two steps toward the blonde and turned her to face her. She ducked down to catch those suddenly shy and avoiding eyes. "What happened, Gail?" She asked in a worried voice. After spending so many hours of taking a few layers off of Gail, she didn't want to see the police officer retreat back into it so soon; at least not till Gail was with her.

"Nothing," Gail whispered and huffed irritatingly at her own cowardice.

Holly didn't say anything. She just cupped Gail's face and kept looking at her. "Did I tell you that I like your hair," she softly questioned as she fingered the cowlick. "It somehow makes you even more adorable than before."

Holly's lips were stretched in that trademark lopsided smile but the fear was evident in those brown eyes. Gail smiled in return. "You have to like it, after all you cut it."

Holly retreated back to glare at the younger woman. "I cut it?"

"Oh you know what I mean," Gail flippantly flicked her right wrist and shook her head not wanting to remember one of her weakest moments.

Holly laughed lightly at that and dropped the topic. She cupped Gail's face and rested her forehead on the blonde's. "Please, stay." She whispered.

Gail felt those puffs of hot air against her own lips. She had to strengthen her resolve. She nuzzled her nose against Holly's and nudged her so she could turn to right a little. When that happened, she kissed a few times at the edge of Holly's jaw. Her lips were right beside the brunette's ear. "Right now," she hotly whispered, "I want you too much to think of the consequences." Her tongue poked out and lapped at the soft skin of Holly's ear. The loose, hanging skin where the shell ended, she pulled it between her lips and wet it abundantly. She could feel Holly's breathing increase. She then bit into it lightly and dragged it till the skin came free on its own. "I can't stay, Hol," she declared and kissed the tender skin for the final time before stepping away from the embrace and walking off to the elevators.

Holly was shocked into nothingness. Seconds later when the coldness of the empty hall brushed her burning skin, she was jolted out of the oblivion. She saw Gail standing in front of the elevator, waiting for the car to arrive. She couldn't decide what to do or how to act. She just kept staring. From somewhere far away she registered the chime of elevator arriving. Gail was just about to take a step when Holly shouted. "Gail, wait."

Gail sighed in relief; not knowing why but she felt a second's respite when Holly called for her. She turned and saw Holly coming toward her, taking long, wide steps. Before she could react she felt herself being yanked.

Without thinking, Holly grabbed the lapels of Gail's leather Jacket. The momentum of her speed, at which she had rushed toward the blonde, pushed them both back causing them to enter the elevator together. Gail uttered 'oomph' as her back collided with the elevator wall. Holly crashed her lips to Gail's roughly and pushed the length of her body into the smaller one. She opened her mouth and swapped between the upper and lower lips; beginning the dance they were getting so good at.

Gail moaned loudly, and it reverberated inside the metal container, when Holly wet her lower lip with her tongue and suggested wordlessly to intensify the kiss. She assuaged the silent request by retrieving her lower lip and beckoning Holly's tongue to come to her. It did. And this time, when she teased the inside of brunette's cheeks, Holly moaned. They kissed. They continued the well rehearsed movements like that was the end of the world; like it was the last time they would get to taste each other's lips. The elevator door kept opening and closing as it got no command.

The kiss came to its natural end and like always they panted into each other's mouth as their forehead rested together. Gail clutched at Holly's t-shirt at her hips and murmured softly, helplessly. "You terrify me, Hol," she confessed and again her eyes burned with tears when the emotions became too overwhelming to contain.

Holly's eyes brimmed with moisture too. "Shhh," she hushed and ran her thumb over the smooth pale cheeks. "Gail, honey, I am right there with you." Her voice shook with the extreme weight of her own torrent of feelings pushing against her from inside. "I am right there...with you; holding your hand." She continued. "Just please don't run, okay?" She implored and hoped that Gail could see the fear in her eyes. "Talk to me anytime but please...just please don't run."

Gail did see the dread in Holly's eyes, as if it were completely transparent; as if Holly had lay her soul bare in front of her. She wished she could be that open; if not today then maybe someday. She would most definitely try...she had to try for Holly. "Maybe I don't need to run anymore, huh Hol?" She shrugged her shoulders and forced herself to continue gazing into the most beautiful eyes she knew she would ever look into. "I really don't want to run anymore, Hol."

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**So now that this is done with, the impending question remains. **

**Should I continue this or let it be?**

**Tell me guys, it depends on you all. **

**Please review and let me know what you think. **

**It does help and works wonders as inspiration, so please. **

**Thank You.**


	6. Author's Note

Hello my dear and valued readers,

So I have been thinking and thinking and thinking since the last update; questioning the continuation of this story. Subconsciously, I suppose I knew that I would continue it and so I gave a title to the fic that was a little ambiguous. The 5x03 event just gave me the push in the right direction and so I gathered all my courage to enter this valued fandom.

The thing is, when I started writing this, the focus, the centre of attention was to bring them back together as sensibly as possible. And I think I have done it successfully; I hope so, at least. Now if I continue writing this, that essence will diminish with time, with increasing length, and certain events in the characters' lives. I would absolutely despise that. So, I have decided to end this here while the magic remains.

I will be continuing this in another story with the same title. This work here, I will consider as Volume-I/Act-I. And the next installment will be Act-II, the continuation.

Also, I cannot tell you how grateful I am for all the love you wonderful people have been showing for my work and for me as a writer. It really is inspiring to no end and I can't put it into words; the overwhelming feeling it gives me. Thank you so much and I hope I can deliver to the standards that you all expect from me now.

So, this is it.

**Staggering Along The Way: Act-I**

**"So We Stumbled..."**

_** THE END**_


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